


Exsuscitāre

by Katsuko



Series: Hurt/Comfort Bingo 2011 [11]
Category: Inception (2010)
Genre: Bad Flirting, Community: hc_bingo, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, NaNoWriMo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-12-13
Updated: 2011-12-13
Packaged: 2017-10-27 07:19:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 772
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/293130
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Katsuko/pseuds/Katsuko
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The job might have gone south, but it gave him a chance to finally learn that there was someone out there for him. Written for both <span><a href="http://hc-bingo.dreamwidth.org/profile"><img/></a><a href="http://hc-bingo.dreamwidth.org/"><b>hc_bingo</b></a></span> and NaNoWriMo.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Exsuscitāre

**Author's Note:**

> Written for [](http://hc-bingo.dreamwidth.org/profile)[**hc_bingo**](http://hc-bingo.dreamwidth.org/) Round 2, the prompt being "hospital stay." Also written as part of my aborted self-NaNo challenge.
> 
> And yep, this is the conclusion to [Miscalculation](http://archiveofourown.org/works/292523).

Doctors believe that people who are in a coma can still hear the world around them, and recommend that loved ones spend time talking to comatose patients. Arthur wasn't certain if that was true, but he did it anyway. Eames deserved to have at least one person there for him, even if his reason for staying was a well-guarded secret.

 

He may have allowed the world to see him as less than intelligent, but Eames was not a stupid man.

He'd known that something was going to go wrong the moment they'd slipped into the second level of the dream, but had followed the plan rather than voice his concerns. The only thing that had gotten him was shot in a dream where he was heavily sedated and damn near slipping into limbo. It was only pure dumb luck that he'd instead been knocked back to the first level of the dream, but apparently Eames had enough bad karma built up that he wasn't able to wake up completely.

Still, it wasn’t too terrible. Even though everyone had left the dream, including the target, he was able to take over and make it his own. The projections were of his making, people who he had known in the course of his life, a few very good friends and charming acquaintances to fill the emptiness.

Strangely enough, even as deep in the dream as he'd remained, Eames could hear a little bit of what was going on outside in the waking world.

It was subtle, really. Arthur's voice (and _oh_ , but he had it bad, didn't he?) would come from somewhere in a crowded room or over the radio or from the telly, reading out the news or some long novel which was apparently about how important one bush was up until the people travelling walked past it without stopping. Sometimes these details would work themselves into the fabric of the dream, but Eames didn't actually _see_ Arthur.

In fact, Arthur was the one person of his acquaintance (and unrequited affection) who didn't exist in the dream.

It was odd, but Eames didn't dwell on it. He lived the dream, made it as comfortable as possible while he healed from the gunshot wound (and how had _that_ come from the deeper layer of the dream with him? It was something that Cobb would find fascinating, no doubt), and listened for those moments when Arthur's voice would speak again.

And then, what felt like a month or two later but was probably a week at most, Eames was away from the projections when he heard the other man's voice come from the radio again.

This time, it wasn't the news or a book or just idle talk.

 _"I don't put much stock in this sort of thing, Eames,"_ was said. _"I don't understand the science or the logic, but it helps to talk to you somehow. We're worried, all of us. I made Ariadne and Yusef go home since there's no point in all of us being out of the game for who knows how long. I'm still here, though. And I'm staying for as long as I need to._

 _"I don't even know why, really. Either I've lost my mind or I'm a glutton for punishment,"_ Arthur seemed to sigh, _"but I care too much to just leave you to the mercy of the doctors and nurses here. I might even be a little bit in love with you. And although I want you to wake up, I'm halfway hoping you can't hear what I'm saying because it's stupid to believe you might be attracted to me in return."_

Well then, that changed everything he thought he knew. And maybe it was time to leave the dream behind.

Three days later, Eames awoke in a room with dull white walls and annoying fluorescent lighting. He pretended not to notice the very visible relief and nervousness in Arthur's eyes, simply submitted to the doctor's prodding and flirted idly with the nurses.

When they were finally alone at last, Eames turned a smile to Arthur and said, "Sorry to keep you waiting so long, darling. Traffic was murder."

Arthur's snort and eye rolling only made him smile more. There was a lot they needed to talk about, not the least of which being the apparent mutual attraction that neither had done anything about until now, but those were things best discussed somewhere other than a hospital room. For now, though, Eames would do his best to drive away the concern still lingering in Arthur's eyes and be happy in the knowledge that he was loved.


End file.
